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SethFahad
2010-04-08, 01:07 AM
A quick question about Consumptive field spell.


All creatures in the area with fewer than 0 hit points that fail their saving throws die, and you gain 1d8 temporary hit points per death caused by this spell and +2 Strenght until the spell's duration expires.

Suppose 3 creatures die because of the spell.

As I understand the text, you gain 3d8 temporary hit points and a +2 str until the spell expires.

Am I right?

What is the right way to read this text?

Is it: "you gain 1d8 temporary hit points per death caused by this spell, and +2 Strenght until the spell's duration expires."

or: "you gain 1d8 temporary hit points per death caused by this spell and +2 Strenght, until the spell's duration expires." :smallconfused:

I mean, "per death" affects 1d8 temporary HP only, or +2 str too???

Shalist
2010-04-08, 01:22 AM
All creatures in the area with fewer than 0 hit points that fail their saving throws die, and you gain 1d8 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus to Strength for each death caused by this spell and until the spell’s duration expires.
The text in this version is clearer, and probably newer as well. 10 kills => +10d8 hp, +20 strength, and +(whatever) CL.

arguskos
2010-04-08, 01:23 AM
The Spell Compendium is the most recent printing of Consumptive Field, and the one that should be used.

It's a Death Knell, for each creature that dies.

SethFahad
2010-04-08, 01:31 AM
Aha! I was reading from Libris Mortis. I wasn't aware of SC entry. Ok then, thank you. Question answered.

Ravingdork
2010-04-08, 01:34 AM
Carry a bag with a hundred rats with you (or thousands of insects), then cast Greater Consumptive Field. You are now, temporarily, a god.

Garden variety earthworms sell in the market by the thousand, real cheap too I hear it told.

Mystic Muse
2010-04-08, 02:11 AM
@the idea of using greater consumptive field on thousands of insects.

congratulations. your strength is now so high that when you touch the earth it goes hurtling through space. you're dead.:smalltongue:

SethFahad
2010-04-08, 02:25 AM
Swarm counts as a single creature. Has single HD, makes saves as a single creature.

edit:

Hmm... 30ft emanation radius equals 81 squares. (if I'm counting corectly)
So if we use a diminutive creature like a toad to fill this space we can use... *calculating* 2025 toads. If we kill them with this spell, we gain 2025d8 hit points (av. 10125) and +4050 Str for the duration of the spell. Pun-puns tiny brother...

The question is, how do you carry, or find 2025 toads...

Teddy
2010-04-08, 02:56 AM
Don't forget that you need to reduce your toads/insects/whatever else you use to 0 or lower HP. Hmm, is there an AoE spell which causes 1 point of damage (or similarily low)?

Sinfire Titan
2010-04-08, 02:57 AM
Use chickens?

BobVosh
2010-04-08, 02:58 AM
@the idea of using greater consumptive field on thousands of insects.

congratulations. your strength is now so high that when you touch the earth it goes hurtling through space. you're dead.:smalltongue:

LOL! Like a caster ever uses "muscles!" Thats what phantom steed, overland flight, or air walk is used for. Touching the ground is for full BAB muscleheads.


Don't forget that you need to reduce your toads/insects/whatever else you use to 0 or lower HP. Hmm, is there an AoE spell which causes 1 point of damage (or similarily low)?

Locate city bomb...minus the explosive feat.

Mystic Muse
2010-04-08, 03:15 AM
LOL! Like a caster ever uses "muscles!" Thats what phantom steed, overland flight, or air walk is used for. Touching the ground is for full BAB muscleheads.

Due to the humongous instant increase in your strength, you're not used to it. If you got +10,000 to strength just moving would probably send the earth hurling through space.

SethFahad
2010-04-08, 03:58 AM
Due to the humongous instant increase in your strength, you're not used to it. If you got +10,000 to strength just moving would probably send the earth hurling through space.

you can secure earth with your grasp...


ok, bag of holding III can be used to carry the toads, but you have only 10 minutes before they suffocate to death...

Any other options?

*Greater CF kills creatures with 9 or less hit points.

Teddy
2010-04-08, 03:58 AM
Due to the humongous instant increase in your strength, you're not used to it. If you got +10,000 to strength just moving would probably send the earth hurling through space.

Nah, it would more likely send you hurling through the space.

SethFahad
2010-04-08, 04:05 AM
Can CF be used against creatures you summon???

BobVosh
2010-04-08, 04:09 AM
you can secure earth with your grasp...


ok, bag of holding III can be used to carry the toads, but you have only 10 minutes before they suffocate to death...

Any other options?

*Greater CF kills creatures with 9 or less hit points.

Throw a bottle of air in there. Alternatively put something that causes a lot of cold for a good duration in there. Then use some wood frogs, freeze them. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070220-frog-antifreeze.html) Harmless freezing solves everything. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HarmlessFreezing)

Starscream
2010-04-08, 04:13 AM
Use chickens?

Ooh. Have a Chicken-Infested commoner as a cohort. He has a theoretically infinite number of chickens on his person at any given time.

Aharon
2010-04-08, 07:33 AM
@SethFahad
No, you can't use summoned creatures. They don't die at 0hp, they disappear. You can call creatures, though - but that will cost you spell slots which could be used in battles.

Ernir
2010-04-08, 07:44 AM
Am I the only one more scared of the stacking CL increase than the strength bonus? :smalleek:


ok, bag of holding III can be used to carry the toads, but you have only 10 minutes before they suffocate to death...

Huh. Time it right, and you could hit the precise point when some of them start suffocating, allowing you to use the basic version of the spell over the greater one. :smalltongue:

Kobold-Bard
2010-04-08, 07:52 AM
Chicken Infested + Consumptive Field + Necrocarnum = DMG to the head?

Irreverent Fool
2010-04-08, 08:31 AM
How do you get them all to 0 hp without killing them before the field can?
Am I the only one more scared of the stacking CL increase than the strength bonus? :smalleek:
It's capped at 1/2 of your 'original caster level', which limits it to the lower stratosphere.

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Sliver
2010-04-08, 08:44 AM
It's capped at 1/2 of your 'original caster level', which limits it to the lower stratosphere.

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It can easily be argued that it's capped for per casting, not total bonus..

Ernir
2010-04-08, 08:59 AM
How do you get them all to 0 hp without killing them before the field can?
If that's a problem, Greater Consumptive Field does not have the 0 HP limitation.

It's capped at 1/2 of your 'original caster level', which limits it to the lower stratosphere.
I can't see "your original caster level" as referring to anything but "your caster level prior to this specific casting of the spell". Which would make it horribly stackable. :smalleek:

The RAI is probably "capped at 1/2 your level in spellcasting classes" or something like that, but...

Irreverent Fool
2010-04-08, 09:02 AM
It can easily be argued that it's capped for per casting, not total bonus..

I think that would be a tough argument, since spells generally overlap, not stack and the maximum is built in to the spell. This would apply to the bonus to strength as well, meaning that you may gain +X strength from several things dying within the area of a first casting, but with a second casting granting you +Y, you would only gain the greater of X or Y, even though it is untyped.

Of course, the bonuses still normally stack with themselves as per the spell listing.

Edit (psuedo-ninjas. I understand what you're saying now, Sliver.)

I can't see "your original caster level" as referring to anything but "your caster level prior to this specific casting of the spell". Which would make it horribly stackable. :smalleek:

That's the major problem, of course. That's why I put it in quotes. :smalltongue: I don't think there's any grounds for a RAW argument of that, though, since the term 'original caster level' is so ambiguous as to require DM intervention.

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magic9mushroom
2010-04-08, 09:05 AM
Re: Greater Consumptive Field stacking:

The max bonus is calculated including all other bonuses (including a prior GCF bonus) but doesn't stack with another GCF bonus. Meaning you can only double your CL.

Irreverent Fool
2010-04-08, 09:06 AM
Re: Greater Consumptive Field stacking:

The max bonus is calculated including all other bonuses (including a prior GCF bonus) but doesn't stack with another GCF bonus. Meaning you can only double your CL.

That's what I said... in clearer terms. Are you quoting something?

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Douglas
2010-04-08, 09:09 AM
It can easily be argued that it's capped for per casting, not total bonus..
Even so, the bonuses don't stack due to being from the same spell so you end up with repeated castings topping out at 1 short of doubling your caster level.

Initial CL 10.
First cast, get +5. CL = 10+5 = 15
Second cast, get +7. CL = 10+7 = 17
Third cast, get +8. CL = 10+8 = 18
Fourth cast, get +9. CL = 10+9 = 19
All further castings, get +9. CL = 10+9 = 19

magic9mushroom
2010-04-08, 09:12 AM
That's what I said... in clearer terms. Are you quoting something?

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No, I'm not quoting anything.